Now you can try some of the latest and greatest WordPress 3.1 features without having to upgrade your own blog to the alpha release. All you need is a free blog from WordPress.com.

The WordPress.com team has just merged all of WordPress.com with the 3.1 branch. Not only will WordPress.com users have access to new features like internal linking, improved Dashboard pagination, and Dashboard column sorting, but the WordPress 3.1 branch has just gained well over a million beta testers!

Can you really get a good feel of the 3.1 features without installing your own template? I don’t know.
I probably would have switched to a wordpress.com blog, from a self hosted one, a long time ago if there was a way to link a domain to it. I get so tired of installing templates, having to edit template tags all the time, but on the other hand, I wouldn’t be able to use plugins, like the facebook connect plugin. As popular as facebook is, I’m still wishing there was a way for the current login system to support facebook accounts. implementing fb connect on some themes is quite time consuming and doesn’t always work with the comments system. I think they should make that part of the wordpress core. people just don’t want to register for every new blog. I’d be registering all day long if I did that, and I don’t have time to moderate comment spam all day long. Most I know would rather link their already existing facebook or gmail accounts then even filling in the name, email address and website fields, for not everybody has an email address or a website address, but everyone has a facebook account these days.

About the Author

James

James began using WordPress in 2004. Being new to WordPress (and blogging in general), he quickly found the WordPress Support Forums and basically never left. James currently resides in sunny Southern California, where he enjoys bringing happiness to millions of WordPress.com users.